


Shatter

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Angst, Character Study, Episode Tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-03-09
Updated: 2005-03-09
Packaged: 2019-05-31 04:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15111944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: "Call me before you go to sleep."





	Shatter

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Shatter**

**by: Kasey**

**Character(s):** Leo  
**Rating:** YTEEN  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own them, please don't sue me.  
**Summary:** "Call me before you go to sleep."  
**Spoiler:** _Five Votes Down_.  


He had thrown the bottle. 

Literally. Just...walked out the sliding glass doors to the back door and threw the bottle across the lawn, hearing it shatter. 

Better all over the lawn than in the house, he figured. It was just too...he couldn't have it around him right then. The LAST thing he needed was to drink it. 

So with the bottle shattered, he walked slowly back inside and began to mechanically clean up the house. He **never** cleaned - there was Ruth to do that, the day-to-day straightening-up, or the maid service that came in and really cleaned every other week or so. But he wandered through the house, picking up anything not in the place it should be. 

And yet, when the phone rang, he managed to practically fly from the basement to the living room. "Hello?" 

"I promised I'd call," came the quiet and uncertain voice. 

"Jenny! Hi, I...listen. I'm sorry about tonight, I'm sorry about all of this, I'm sorry about what I said about our marriage not being important - it IS important, I shouldn't have made it sound like it wasn't. I really am sorry, Jenny, just...come home and we'll work it out..." 

"Leo." He fell silent, knowing full well from her tone of voice that she would not be swayed by his desperate, rambling attempts to win her back. "I can't." 

"...so you said..." He whispered, his voice growing husky with the tears he was determined not to shed while she was on the phone. 

"Yeah." There was a pause, awkward, silent. "Mallory's probably going to be calling..." 

"Does she know about-" 

"Yeah. I told her." 

"How's she taking it?" 

"How's Mal take anything? She says 'okay' and acts like she's fine but deep down she's miserable." 

"Yeah." 

"I'll come over tomorrow to get the rest of my clothes and things while you're at work-" 

"Jenny, this is foolish." 

"I told you, Leo, I-" 

"No, I mean...You should have the house." He hadn't planned on saying that, but he believed it. "I'm home, what? A couple hours a day just for the sake of sleeping? You should have the house." 

"You're certain?" 

"Absolutely." 

"O-Okay..." He'd taken her by surprise - she somehow hadn't expected him to surrender the house like that. "Where will you go?" 

"I'll stay in a hotel, find an apartment...I'll be fine." 

"If you're sure..." 

"I am." 

"Okay then. Um...When will you be...?" 

"I'll be out as of tomorrow." 

"Okay." A long pause. "I'll talk to you later." 

"Really or are you blowin' me off?" 

"Really." 

"Okay." A pause. "I l-...Sleep well," he murmured, choking on his words. 

"You too," she said quietly before hanging up the phone. 

Slowly, Leo lowered the receiver onto its cradle before the first tear made its way down his cheek. No sooner had he set the phone down than it rang again. "Hello?" 

"Daddy?" 

"Hey, Baby," he said, forcing a smile. 

"Are you okay? Mom told me..." 

"She told me she told you - how're you doing?" 

"I asked you first." 

"Baby, it's gonna blow over, there's no cause for worry - it's your mother being...your mother, being fed up and with good reason. But I'm gonna fix this." 

"Dad..." 

"No big deal." 

"Yes, Dad, it IS a big deal. This isn't just Mom being pissed at you, this is...she left, Dad, she wants a divorce. This isn't on some whim." 

"So you're on her side." 

"That's not-" 

"Are you?" 

"...I think she's right to be upset and-" 

"I see how it is." 

"Dad, take a look around!" 

"I forgot the anniversary, I'm not contesting that, I tried to make up for-" 

"You can't make up for the past several years with one night, Dad, especially not when in the middle of the evening you were planning on trying to sneak out like it was some huge party where no one would notice!" She paused a moment to calm herself. "It's not about the anniversary, that's just the...it's the straw that broke the camel's back. She's tired of you not being around." 

"Mallory, you don't understand, this is the WHITE HOUSE, I can't just drop everything to-...This is the most important thing I will ever do, it means EVERYTHING-" 

"Yeah, Dad, that's the problem," she said quietly. "The job means more to you than your family. That's the problem." 

His own daughter was turning against him. This wasn't happening - it was some weird-ass nightmare, he-... 

He had brought it upon himself. He and the Goddamn White House. 

"Go get some sleep, Baby, I'll talk to you later." 

"Dad..." 

"Goodnight." He hung up the phone, unable to deal with her being mad at him as well as his wife - or maybe soon-to-be-ex-wife - being mad at him. 

And he was alone again, with only the silence around him. 


End file.
